The McMaster women's basketball team had only eight players in uniform due to injuries, but those eight gave all they had and defeated the Guelph Gryphons 79-55 Saturday afternoon in Hamilton.

Already missing three players with long-term ailments, the Marauders got more bad news when Clare Kenney and Erin Burns were not able to suit up against Guelph.   But playing with a short bench didn't seem to faze the team and they came at the Gryphons right from the opening tip.

Mac's Danielle Boiago served notice she had come to play by draining two long treys in the first quarter, and pacing the Marauders to a 21-13 lead after 10 minutes. 

The second quarter saw the Gryphons start to claw back and behind their all-star Kate MacTavish, they were able to close to within a point at 23-22.   That was the cue for Hilary Hanaka and Rachael Holmes to get going and behind some strong attacks to the basket by those two and Boiago, McMaster ended the quarter on a 12-2 run to take a 35-24 lead into intermission.

While the Marauders have clinched a playoff spot, Guelph entered play in a battle with Brock for a post-season berth and was desperate for a victory.

The third quarter saw the Marauders get some solid play from substitutes Lexie Spadafora and Michaela Ionni, who both took advantage of their increased playing time.    Playing some intense defense, McMaster was able to extend its lead and carried a 51-35 margin into the final stanza.

The fourth quarter saw Boiago heat up again and she knocked down two more long three-pointers to increase the gap.  With Siobhan Manning adding another trey and Ally Schweitzer scoring two key inside hoops, Mac's lead peaked at 25 points as Guelph had to call timeout down 71-46 with just over three minutes left. 

The Gryphons made a furious late push to try and carve into the lead, but the Marauders matched them and closed out the win.    Boiago finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Hanaka with 14 and Holmes with 12 also hit double digits.   The top shooter for Guelph was Barb Inrig-Pierterse with 13.

Spadafora finished with nine big rebounds, while Ionni grabbed five boards and played some great defense while on the floor, as both were key contributors, and helped Mac keep pace with Guelph on the boards.

McMaster shot 46% from the floor for the game, while Guelph could only muster a team field-goal percentage of 21%.  

The Marauders improve to 13 and 4 in the OUA Central, while Guelph stands at 7-10 after the loss. 

Next home action for the maroon is Wednesday, February 18^th when they face the Brock Badgers, with tip-off set for 6 p.m.